Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
ZSI Scientists Propose Strong Trans-boundary Collaboration for Expansion of Natural PAs & Cross-border Monitoring Network to Save Red Pandas from Becoming Extinct
Kolkata, March 24, 2022
The Zoological Survey of India , Kolkata scientists have proposed to develop a strong transboundary collaboration to entail a cross-border monitoring network by involving the active contribution of bureaucrats, local stakeholders, environmentalists, biologists, NGOs and communities among India, Nepal and Bhutan to save the Red Pandas from going into extinct. The Red Pandas, as the ZSI scientists opine, are endangered species, as they are in constant threat of poaching, besides being vulnerable to the recent fluctuation in temperature and anthropogenic activities.
Dr Mukesh Thakur, Scientist, Centre for DNA Taxonomy, ZSI along with a host of other scientists from the same organisation after thorough research and study found the Red Pandas in Kangchenjunga Landscape  including Sikkim and North Bengal, exist in meta-populations framework, that show population having moderate connectivity and gene flow.
Dr Thakur also opined the Red Panda population in KL needs special attention as it represents an intermediate population that connects to Nepal in the west and Bhutan in the east. The existence of Red Panda in the meta-populations framework in KL provides opportunities to physically connect the habitat patches so that forest patches can be functionally operated by Red Panda and avoid the local extirpation of small populations.
According to Dr Thakur, Red Pandas are distributed in North Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. There is no firm estimate available for its population size. However, earlier reports suggest 32 animals in Singalila National Park and 34 animals in Neora Valley National Park, in Darjeeling district, West Bengal.
In 1994, Darjeeling Zoo started a Red Panda conservation breeding programme. By 2003, it had 22 Red Pandas and decided to release two zoo-born females into the wild. Two more females were released in 2004 and a further four pandas were supposed to be released in October 2019. Despite these efforts, the red panda population in the national park shows no signs of increasing. However, for habitat suitability, variables like precipitation, temperature and vegetation are directly linked to the red panda diet, survival and reproductive necessities. The growth of bamboo understory in the temperate forests is highly influenced by the rainfall and temperature and Red Pandas as being the canopy-dwelling species prefer temperate forests in the central and eastern Himalayas with dense bamboo undergrowth. Therefore, rainfall, temperature and vegetation cover played a significant role in predicting Red Panda habitat.
The ZSI scientists have already recommended for extending the Protected Areas  boundaries by effectively implementing the eco-sensitive zone planning adopted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, 2011 of the Government of India. They have also proposed buffer zones around the PAs and community conservation areas to protect important wildlife corridors.
Since, the Red Panda across the range has experienced habitat loss, fragmentation and population decline due to changes in the land use pattern and anthropogenic activities in the past few decades, any significant change in the climatic isotherm may result in vacating the site and or shifting the species to other sites based on the varying extent of species resilience and inherent adaptive plasticity, the scientists fear.
Further, consolidating landscape connectivity through mapping corridors, validating movement through genetics and expanding natural PAs is fundamental to make Red Panda conservation a long-term success across the distribution range.
The ZSI scientists have sought possible collaboration in Nepal, Bhutan and China to aid in preparing a comprehensive monitoring plan for Red Panda conservation and to evaluate the ongoing conservation efforts across the political boundaries.